Nutragenomics companies use food extracts to fight disease

Someday soon, Kathy Mullinix will be able to hold a big idea in the palm of her hand -- a pill made from a food extract.

In this case, black tea, something she says has been medically proven to soothe sore muscles and joints.

What's next? A pill made from a slice of citrus that helps people lose weight?

Actually, yes.

WellGen Inc., a tiny North Brunswick biotech startup headed by Mullinix, is one of a handful of companies in the nation pioneering technologies in an emerging field called "nutrigenomics." The idea is to first identify genes that encourage good health, such as those that thwart inflammation and zap fat cells, and then design supplements that turn on those genes.

"They are not planning to sit in their rocking chairs. They're planning their next gig," Mullinix said.

Nutrigenomic supplements also may offer a middle ground in the often difficult choice between pharmaceutical products, with their sometimes serious side effects, and health food offerings that often come with outlandish -- and unsubstantiated -- claims.

"Consumers are looking for guidance," Mullinix said.

WellGen earned a U.S. patent last week for its proprietary compound, WG0401, one of the first ingredients identified through nutrigenomic technology to get this far. The black tea extract, discovered in the laboratories of Rutgers University food scientists who also are named on the patent, reduces inflammation, pain and swelling.

The company also has filed for patent protection on another substance drawn from a citrus plant, called WG0301, that inhibits the maturation of fat cells.

The functional food and beverage industry has grown into an $80 billion business, as people seek out foods and ingredients that offer distinct health benefits.

But it is hard to assess the future economic potential of nutrige-nomics, a more specialized niche that is still in its infancy, according to "Nutrigenomics and Beyond," a report prepared earlier this year for the National Academies of Science by a panel of nutrition and genetic scientists.

With billions of dollars being spent in health care, mostly to treat the sick and a fraction to support preventive care, the report said nutrigenomics might save the country pots of money if its scientists can devise products that will be accepted by enough consumers.

"Nutrigenomics research has the potential to have huge economic benefits," the report concluded.

But is the "science" of nutrigenomics for real?

"Yes it is real," said Jim Kaput, an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, whose book, "Nutritional Genomics," is a standard text of the field.

DIETS BY DESIGN

The complex science grew out of the insight that genetic conditions can be exacerbated or alleviated by diet.

Newborns in the U.S., for example, are now routinely screened for PKU, a genetic disorder that causes phenylalanine, a naturally occurring amino acid, to accumulate. High blood concentrations of phenylalanine cause mental delays in children with a gene defect. PKU can be avoided simply by restricting the amount of protein these children consume.

And as knowledge grows about individuals and their genetic make-up, such as an inclination to high blood pressure or diabetes, Kaput said, foods may be designed for special populations.

"We believe that in the future we will have individuals in groups," Kaput said, and each will have a tailor-made diet . "Let's say, a low-fat diet for some, medium fat for another group, and so on. It is likely to happen."

It is common knowledge some people are sensitive to certain types of food or ingredients, like salt or dairy products. Nutrigenomics, experts said, will demonstrate certain foods have effects on the body that may take longer to notice -- such as causing cancer or other diseases.

"Nutrigenomics is taking this analysis to another level where food will impact our genes and our health in ways that are not as immediate or transparent," said Nancy Childs, a professor of food marketing at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia.

Childs said consumers already know on a crude level that genetic inheritance is relevant to health, because so many must list diseases affecting ancestors during ordinary visits to the doctor. And they also comprehend drugs do not affect all people the same.

"Now, if we understand our own DNA sequence, we can start looking at what foods interact with our genes and we'll know there are foods we should eat as well as avoid," she said.

Rather than treating ourselves for diseases we already have, she said, such knowledge can help us take action, preventing the disease for which we may have a tendency from taking hold. That's the promise of the science, she said.

There are several nutrigenomic products already on the market, including pasta with omega-3 fatty acids, orange juice with phytosterols for cardiac health, and a fruity goo for asthma sufferers.

More are coming.

SAFETY ISSUES

The federal Food and Drug Administration oversees the safety of the food supply, but not in the same way it assesses pharmaceutical products.

Any chemical that normally appears in food and is eaten consistently is "generally regarded as safe," a standard referred to as "GRAS," by the FDA. As a result, the FDA allows companies to sell products containing special ingredients, for example, teas with gingko bilboa extracts.

Many of these so-called "functional food" ingredients have been tested for safety in some populations, at levels regarded as safe, said Kaput, the University of Illinois professor who is also the founder and CEO of NutraGenomics in Chicago, a biotech firm. There have not been a lot of safety tests, however, for some supplements at high doses, he added.

Scientists at WellGen spent years checking the effectiveness of the tea extract. "Everyone told us we were crazy -- it would never work," said Geetha Gai, a Rutgers scientist who was long involved with the research and now works as an industry consultant. "We knew it made sense."

They took advantage, according to CEO Mullinix, of "20 years of fabulous molecular biology work" which had identified 15 genes, including interleukins and cytokines, involved in causing the inflammation makes muscles and joints sore. In test tubes and, later, in controlled tests on mice and then people, scientists found the substance inhibited inflammation.

The company, spun off by the Rutgers scientists and supported for years by grants from the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology, moved from the Rutgers campus in June to new digs in the Technology Centre of New Jersey on Route 1. Company officials have already contracted for the large-scale manufacture of the tea extract and expect it to be available later this year.

They are in discussions with food companies to place the supplement in drinks, semi-soft dairy products, cookies and snack bars.

"We start with food and we end with food," Mullinix said. "And we bring our scientific rigor to the question of what a substance might do. We are on a very different track."